It's Never Good
by kensi54382
Summary: A quiet Tony is never a good sign, because a quiet Tony means that something is wrong. When Tony is quiet all week long, Gibbs gets concerned. Why is Tony so quiet? What happened? The only time Gibbs has ever seen Tony quiet is when he's been sick. So what's going on?
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs watched his senior field agent dutifully complete his paperwork that afternoon. It was Friday, and the case had been closed that morning. Gibbs had already sent McGee and Ziva home for the day, and had attempted to send Tony home too. But Tony had refused to leave, wanting to finish his paperwork first. That had shocked Gibbs, but it also gave him the chance to talk privately with his friend. Ever since Monday morning, Tony had been oddly quiet. There had been no movie quotes and background chatter that week. Tony had stayed late each evening to finish any paperwork he had. Something was clearly bothering the younger man, but Gibbs hadn't pushed him to talk yet- the one time he had asked Tony what was going on, Tony had paled and walked off. Gibbs knew that whatever the problem was, Tony was deeply hurt by it, and wouldn't talk until he was ready. Gibbs really hoped that Tony would want to talk sooner rather than later, that was for sure. He hated seeing Tony hurting or upset.

"Boss, I'm finished with this paperwork," said Tony simply as he placed three files on Gibbs' desk. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, Tony," said Gibbs softly, hoping Tony would talk. He was even hoping that Tony would decide to show up at his house later that night. "Thanks for remembering that this is our on-call weekend, by the way."

Tony nodded and grabbed his backpack, headed to the elevator, and disappeared. With a sigh, Gibbs followed, praying Tony would want to talk already.

* * *

Tony was glad to be free of work that night. He couldn't explain it, but he had the feeling people had been talking about him all day. It was frustrating- especially when his own team didn't care that they had hurt his feelings. In all honesty, he thought they probably didn't know what they had done, but on the in case that they knew and were just being unkind, he was angry with them.

Tony dropped onto the bar stool and grabbed the drink his bartender friend put in front of him.

"Rough day, Tony?" he asked.

"Rough week, actually. We finally closed the case, which is why I'm drinking and talking to you right now, Steve," answered Tony sadly.

"What's bothering you?"

"Too much." Tony laughed wryly. "I don't know why their comments annoyed me though. I'm not one that worries about what others say."

"Except when you care about the people, you mean?"

Tony nodded and sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

Steve smiled. "Go and confront them. Maybe not tonight, though- you're already getting drunk. You should really pace yourself when it comes to bourbon and scotch, Tony. I don't think your lungs need the added stress."

Tony smiled a little. He had always felt comfortable around Steve, especially when it came to personal problems. He had entrusted Steve with his medical history years ago, and the bartender made sure to watch over Tony and keep his alcohol consumption in check.

"I should get going," Tony said finally.

"How did you get here?"

"I walked. It's only a block."

"Then I'll drive you home. Give me a few minutes."

Tony nodded and thanked Steve. He loved having this friend, the one true friend that he knew would never hurt him.

* * *

Tony had been home for almost four hours. He wasn't drunk when he left the bar, but he was certainly drunk now, having had more alcohol since getting home. He couldn't get to sleep, and he really wanted to let his feelings out. So he stood, swaying a little, and called a cab.

* * *

Gibbs put his sandpaper down and sighed. He couldn't get the image of Tony walking away, dejected, out of his head. All he wanted right then was to look after Tony and treat him like his own child. At least then he could get to the bottom of the problem.

"Boss?"

Gibbs frowned. He could hear a slight difference in Tony's voice. "Downstairs, Tony," Gibbs called out.

"Hi, boss." Tony smiled.

"What's with you? Have you been drinking?"

"A while ago."

"How did you get here?"

"Cab."

Gibbs nodded. He stepped over to where Tony was leaning against the wall. "What's the matter, Tony? You have been miserable all week. Did something happen?" Gibbs asked softly as he guided a drunk Tony to a chair.

"I shouldn't tell you…"

"Why?"

"They may not have meant it."

"Who? Talk to me, Tony. Tell me what's happening." Gibbs always felt bad for doing this to his friend, but the only way to get information from Tony was to get him somewhat drunk first.

"McGee and Ziva."

"What did McGee and Ziva do?"

"Made fun of me." Tony looked up at his boss with a small grin. He was evidently going to have a hangover in the morning.

"Why did they make fun of you?" Gibbs sat on one of his sawhorses and watched Tony's face for anything that would tell him Tony was hiding something.

"Not really sure, boss. I think they were having fun, but what they said was really mean," slurred Tony. He wasn't even avoiding his boss' gaze for once.

"Okay. What was it?"

"We were at the scene."

Gibbs nodded. He knew that it was going to take a while to get Tony to talk. He was drunk, and drunk Tony liked to talk way more than sober Tony. And that was saying something. "What happened at the scene?"

"McGee didn't want to talk to the witnesses, so I told him to process the scene. Ziva was already canvassing the area. I spoke to the witnesses."

That was another thing Gibbs had noticed early on- when Tony was drunk, his memories were clear, and he was all about telling the truth. "What happened after you spoke to the witnesses?"

"I helped McGee with the scene. We left for NCIS after that. Then we met up with you."

"What happened on the way back to work, Tony?" Gibbs asked, not missing the fact that Tony had glossed over the details of the drive back.

Tony shrugged. "Not much."

"Okay. Now I'm sure that this problem happened on that drive back. Talk to me, buddy."

Tony looked up in surprise. "You called me 'buddy'."

Gibbs smiled. "Is that a problem?"

Tony shook his head. "I like it."

"Good. Now, can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know..." Tony sighed. "I suppose that I can tell you."

"Good plan."

"Ziva and McGee were being silly. It was getting annoying. I asked them to stop. They both laughed at me and said I should be used to it because I'm 'super annoying'."

"Did they say it as a joke?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I felt upset, so I let it drop. It's not the first time they have said that though, boss. They always say it, just like everyone else."

"Is that why you have been so quiet this week?"

Tony nodded. "Nobody wants me to talk, so I won't. Maybe they will stop making fun of me then."

Gibbs sighed quietly. He knew Tony probably wouldn't remember any of this in the morning, so he was going to need to have a long chat with Tony. The quiet work environment over the weekend would be perfect for that. But he also needed to deal with the pain Tony was feeling right then.

"First, Tony, nobody has the right to pick on you. Second, I don't want a quiet senior agent. If I did, do you think I would have hired you? Your chatter has become background noise to me, but it also helps me think. The only time that you are ever quiet is when you're sick. I worry a lot when you are quiet."

Tony looked up with a little smile. "Thank you, Gibbs."

Gibbs just nodded. "Let's go to bed, buddy. We can talk more in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony awoke on Saturday morning with a splitting headache. Groaning, he pulled the blanket over his head.

"Get up, DiNozzo. Work isn't going to wait," said Gibbs gently.

Tony groaned again. "Go away," he pleaded.

"No can do, buddy."

"Buddy?"

"Yes, buddy. You are my buddy, Tony. Don't you remember our conversation last night?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't remember coming here."

"Okay. It's a good thing that you came by cab then." Gibbs grinned. "Come on, breakfast is ready, along with a couple of Tylenol tablets. You can shower after you eat."

Tony grumbled underneath his breath as he climbed out of the bed. He moved slowly into the hallway, then took the stairs two at a time. He was hungry, more than normal, and knew it was because he had been drinking heavily the night before.

* * *

Down in the kitchen, Gibbs placed a plate of pancakes in front of Tony. A cup of coffee appeared next to it, followed by a glass of water and two tablets.

"Eat, then take them. It'll work better that way," said Gibbs.

Tony scowled but followed the instructions. He was relieved when he managed to keep down two pancakes. Tossing down the tablets with water, Tony drank down half the coffee and stood.

"You okay, Tony?"

"Fine. I'm going to shower." Tony headed up to his room and grabbed a suit he always kept there for this exact reason.

* * *

Tony put his head against the back of his seat while Gibbs drove, somewhat slowly, to NCIS. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the sunlight, while he waited for the last of his headache to pass.

"Tony, do you remember what we discussed last night?" Gibbs asked as he turned onto the street before the Navy Yard.

"No."

"Do you remember why you wanted to come over then?"

"I wanted to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"What happened on Monday. Did I tell you?"

"Yes, you told me."

"What did I say?"

"A lot. I think we need to have another chat before I do anything about it."

"I don't want you to do anything…"

"Sorry, but what you told me last night cannot go unchecked. Something needs to be done to put a stop to it."

Tony smiled. "Thank you for being so kind to me, Gibbs."

"Of course." Gibbs smiled back. "Let's go. We'll check for any cases, then go chat when we can."

* * *

McGee and Ziva were chatting away when Tony and Gibbs walked in. Tony went to say his usual hello, but stopped short when their conversation reached his ears. Sudden anger welled up inside Tony at their casual teasing of him, and he almost shouted at them. The only thing that stopped him was Gibbs' hand on his shoulder.

"Let them keep talking. The more I hear, the easier it is for me to deal with," whispered Gibbs into Tony's ear.

Tony nodded. He frowned as McGee mentioned that they should let Tony drive the van to the next scene so that they could do it again. He saw confusion on Gibbs' face at that statement, but Tony knew all too well what they were discussing. He hadn't mentioned that to Gibbs, he was sure of it, because if he had, Gibbs would have been at McGee and Ziva's throats right then.

"Good morning, you two," said Gibbs as he strode into the bull pen. "Any cases?"

"Nothing, boss," said McGee, quickly sobering up and changing the conversation.

"Good. Catch up on paperwork."

Tony took a deep breath and stepped up to his desk. He dropped his backpack next to the desk and sat down, still tired and a little intoxicated.

"DiNozzo, you finished the monthly expenditure report yet?" Gibbs asked, his tone back to being gruff, if only to stop the team from wondering why he was being nice to Tony.

"Finishing it now, boss," answered Tony as he pulled a file towards him.

"Good. I want it by the end of the day."

"Yes, boss."

* * *

It wasn't long before the teasing started again. As soon as Gibbs was out for coffee, McGee and Ziva turned to Tony.

"Did you enjoy our little adventure yesterday?" Ziva taunted.

"I sure found it fun," added McGee.

"Don't the two of you have work to finish?" Tony asked, trying hard to not let their words anger him.

"We'll do it when Gibbs comes back. Unless you want to do it for us?"

Tony ignored McGee's question. He put his head down on his desk, the headache from that morning beginning to return.

"Back to work, McGee, Ziva," said Gibbs a minute later. "DiNozzo, no sleeping on the job."

Tony glanced at Gibbs, his expression telling his boss everything the older man needed to know.

"Drink this, DiNozzo, it'll wake you up," Gibbs said a little more quietly as he placed a coffee cup on the desk.

"You got Tony coffee?" McGee asked incredulously.

"Since he stayed until pretty late last night, completing his paperwork, and didn't get any sleep last night, yes, I bought him coffee. I need my agents awake and alert, McGee."

"Thank you, boss," said Tony as he sipped the coffee and returned to his paperwork.

"DiNozzo, you finished that report?"

"Just signing it now." Tony handed the file to Gibbs.

"Good. Now you can follow me. Let's go."

Tony frowned, a little concerned about what was happening. He stood and followed obediently until they reached the conference room.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tony, what happened while I was gone?" Gibbs asked softly.

"Nothing, boss," Tony said automatically. He sighed. "That's not true."

"I know it isn't. I saw the look on your face when I put the coffee down. You were upset. What happened?"

"I haven't told you everything. At least, I don't think I have."

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything that has happened this week."

"Well, it started with just being teased. I didn't care about that- I can tune it out. Besides, it's not like I don't do it to them as well. But they took it too far in the truck on Monday. I was driving because the two of them were busy arguing over something that didn't interest me. I told them a few times to keep it down so I could hear the GPS, but they either didn't hear me or weren't listening. I took a wrong turn a little while later and the GPS couldn't get me back out, so I asked McGee to find a way out on the map. He was pretty quick with it and showed it to me. I'm not the best at reading maps, he knows that, so I asked him to guide me. He was okay at first, but then Ziva got him started on their argument again. Being in the middle of us, McGee was waving the map in my face. When I told them to stop before they got us killed, they laughed at me and told me to keep driving. At that point, McGee shoved the map in front of my face and told me to use it myself."

"That's how you got that dent in the truck, isn't it?"

"Yes. I couldn't see where I was going, and I couldn't get the map out of the way quick enough. I put the brakes on, but it was too late. The truck had already drifted onto the side of the road and I hit the pole before I could stop. That was my fault, I know that. I put it in the report that I was the reason it happened."

"From what you just told me, Tony, you aren't the reason it happened. McGee and Ziva are. I'll be dealing with them, and I'll speak with Vance about taking the complaint out of your file. You won't be getting into trouble for this. What else happened?"

"Why do you say there's more?"

"Because you told me things last night that you haven't said yet. And because I know you well enough to know that this would not be enough to have you upset all week."

Tony sighed. "Okay. After we got back, I confronted the both of them about their behaviour. I wanted to deal with it so that you wouldn't find out. They listened and apologised for the argument, but they didn't mean it. If they had meant it, they wouldn't have continued their argument as soon as they thought I couldn't hear them anymore. I confronted them again after you had gone home on Monday, but nothing changed. They shrugged their shoulders and walked off, still arguing. I meant to tell you about it on Tuesday morning, but I had forgotten about it by then, and they weren't arguing anymore. I let it drop. On Tuesday, they thought they would annoy me. It was just stupid jokes at first, nothing harmless. I got a little annoyed with them, but it wasn't like I hadn't done anything similar to them in the past. After lunch, I sat at my desk to continue a report I had been writing, only to find that it had been deleted. I couldn't recover it, and neither could Abby. Abby did say that McGee had been fiddling with my computer though, so I asked him about it and he just laughed in my face. I had to start the whole report again. And it continued like that all week. Not just deleted reports or anything like that, but other things too. I found a rat in my locker on Wednesday. When I tried to get it out, it nearly bit me and I got scared…"

"Understandable, especially after what you've been through."

"I knew that wasn't McGee- he saw what I went through because of the plague. I knew he wouldn't do that to me. But Ziva has always found it hilarious that rats scare me. I asked both of them to stop after that, but they didn't. Thursday and Friday, they played more pranks that almost got me injured at scenes. You can ask Ducky- he had to clean and bandage a few cuts and scratches, and give me a tetanus injection on Thursday after McGee purposely let out the dog I had just caught."

"What about today? What happened today, Tony?"

"They brought up Monday's 'adventure'. I told them to stop talking about it, but they kept going. I think they were trying to get me angry, and they probably would have if you didn't come in when you did."

Gibbs nodded, keeping his anger off his face. He knew that Tony was still a little intoxicated, and, therefore, quite sensitive right then. He didn't want the younger man to think that he was the one making Gibbs angry.

"Okay, Tony. I'll deal with the both of them. I want you to go and get some fresh air, maybe even wash your face and try to calm down. I don't want to see you in the bull pen for at least the next half hour. Got it?"

Tony nodded. "Sorry about the truck, boss."

"Not your fault, Tony. Stop apologising about it."

"It's a sign of weakness, right. Forgot about that rule."

Gibbs smiled. "Go. Now. Before I change my mind."


	4. Chapter 4

**In response to a review from rigger42, which, by the way, thank you for bringing this to my attention, Tony isn't so much intoxicated as just harbouring a lingering headache from his drinking the previous night. My intention was not to imply that he still had alcohol in his system, but it just seems that way to Gibbs after the previous night and Tony's rocky start to the morning. Even so, if a case arises (and I'm not too sure if it will just yet) Tony will not go out to the scene, both because of his drinking the previous night and because of a consequence after a problem on Thursday (which will be explored soon).**

* * *

Tony walked out of the conference room and headed straight outside. He quickly found a secluded area that he could sit in while he calmed down. He sighed quietly before sitting on the grass and closing his eyes. The sun was warm on his skin, and he felt his headache easing the longer he relaxed there.

"Hiya Tony!" exclaimed Abby as she flopped down onto the grass beside him.

"What are you doing here, Abbs? You're not on call," said Tony once his heart slowed to normal.

"Gibbs asked me to run some tests. He also said I would probably find you here. Is everything okay?"

"I'm good. The sun is nice, and my headache is easing a little."

"Do you have a hangover? I can cure it for you."

"No hangover. Well, not anymore anyway. McGee and Ziva pretty much fixed that with their..."

"Their what?"

"Nothing. I just meant that they are happy, and it's contagious," lied Tony, though he knew that Abby would be able to see straight through it.

Abby nodded and changed the topic, sensing that Tony didn't want to discuss things any further. "What are you doing tonight? After work, I mean?"

"Probably eating alone and watching a movie. What are you doing?"

"Going bowling with the nuns. Sister Rosita has been nagging me to bring you. Do you want to come?"

Tony's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing his favourite nun and spending time with Abby. It had been a long time since the two of them had hung out without anyone else from work. "I'd love to, Abby."

"Great! We'll get dinner on the way to the bowling alley." Abby grinned excitedly. "Hey, are you still on desk duty?"

"Unfortunately. Gibbs said I can go back into the field on Monday, but two days of desk work is going to be boring."

"Why didn't you just tell Vance that it was Ziva who threatened that woman on Thursday? It isn't fair that you should be in trouble for something you didn't do. And, you tried to stop her. None of this is your fault."

"I'm the Senior Agent, Abby. Whether this is my fault or not, I'm still the one that will be blamed. Maybe not by Gibbs, cause he knows I tried, but Vance wasn't there. He didn't see anything that happened."

"It's dumb. But, I guess I understand. And, besides, if you're on desk duty, you have more time to spend in my lab with me!"

Tony laughed, which felt good after being miserable all week. "Oh, Abby. You're so sweet and innocent sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Abby asked, faking a hurt tone.

"Alright, most of the time then." Tony sighed. He laid back on the grass as well, allowing Abby to take his hand as he did so, until his phone rang and Ducky's number came up. "Hi, Duck."

"Anthony, I need a favour from you."

* * *

Gibbs was disappointed to hear the rest of what Tony had endured throughout the week. He couldn't understand why Ziva and McGee would be so cruel. It was one thing to joke around, and Tony certainly did that a lot, but interfering with work and causing danger or injuries was not a joke.

"Jethro, how may I help you?" Ducky asked as Gibbs entered autopsy, where he knew Ducky was taking stock of his inventory.

"I have a question for you, and I really need an honest answer. Please don't tell me that it's confidential."

"Does this have something to do with young Anthony?"

"It does."

"What can I help you with?"

"Tony mentioned that you helped him with some injuries on Thursday and Friday."

"Ah, yes. Anthony came in on Thursday afternoon after returning from a scene. He asked me to look at some bruising on his stomach."

"What was the bruise from? I know that he took a couple of hits from Ziva when he was trying to stop her from attacking someone. I didn't see her hit his stomach."

"I do believe that he was elbowed. And it was a hard hit. The bruise was quite deep, and I suspect that Anthony would still be slightly sore today."

"Why did he come in yesterday?"

"Again, it was after a scene. He had scratches covering his lower left arm; they were quite deep. I cleaned them and bandaged them for him. He mentioned while I was working that they were from a dog that had been let loose at the crime scene."

"You gave him a tetanus shot too?"

"That was a nightmare, although, I must say, Anthony was calm through the injection. I didn't have too much trouble getting him to comply with the shot. He was more afraid that he would get sick before the medicine in the shot worked."

Gibbs smiled. "Of course he was. What about Wednesday? Did he come in then?"

"No. He stopped me on the way out of work that night and asked me if it was possible to get sick if a rat touched him. I figured out what he meant by that, so I told him that he would be just fine, that he wasn't going to get sick. I don't know what brought that on."

"I do. Alright, thank you, Duck. I need to go and take care of something before this gets any worse. Thanks for looking after Tony, by the way."

"I'm always here to help, Jethro. Which reminds me, you are due for your next tetanus shot too."

"After I deal with this. I promise to come back down here," Gibbs said as he left.

Ducky nodded, then grabbed his phone and dialed Tony's cell number. "Anthony, I need a favour from you."

* * *

"What kind of favour?" Tony asked.

"I need you to make sure Jethro comes down before leaving work today for his tetanus shot."

"Of course, Ducky. I'll see what I can do." Tony said goodbye, then hung up.

"What does Ducky want?" asked Abby.

"Gibbs is due for a tetanus shot. I think that Ducky is worried Gibbs won't go and get it done."

"But you did. And you absolutely hate needles. Why don't you just tell that to Gibbs?"

"I did already. Ducky wants me to try and make sure that Gibbs goes down there today."


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs took a deep breath to calm himself before he walked around the corner and into the bull pen. He was still quite angry about what his two agents had done to Tony, and, after speaking to Ducky, he was even angrier. McGee letting a dog out of a cage at a scene while Tony was still there was dangerous. Things could have gone horribly wrong, and he may have been sitting in a hospital waiting room the previous night waiting for news on his senior field agent instead of talking to Tony in his basement. Added to that, the rat incident on Wednesday, while highly doubtful that it would have made Tony ill, could have sent Tony back into Brad's care and could have been fatal. Of course, he supposed, Tony could have ended up in the hospital on Monday had he not hit the pole when he did.

"McGee, David, the two of you have a lot to answer for," grumbled Gibbs. Thankful that nobody was around to hear this, he continued. "Why am I hearing that the two of you have been extremely unprofessional and dangerous this past week?"

"What, did Tony make things up?" Ziva asked nonchalantly.

"What did you just say, David?"

"I asked if Tony told you lies."

"Who said that Tony was the one to tell me?"

"You did."

"No, I didn't. So, are you feeling guilty about something?" Gibbs was surprised by Ziva's attitude. Usually, she was good at hiding things when she was in the wrong.

"Of course not."

Gibbs turned to McGee. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Okay... We played pranks on Tony. They weren't dangerous," McGee spilled straight away.

"I'm not talking about pranks. I'm talking about deleting Tony's work when he's not looking. I'm talking about almost letting an angry dog maul him, and putting a potentially poisonous rat in his locker. I'm talking about almost causing a major accident and letting Tony take the fall!"

"What rat?" McGee asked, suddenly feeling a little confused.

"Right, Tony mentioned that he didn't think you were the culprit behind that." Gibbs turned back to Ziva. "You, on the other hand, I'm told definitely thinks Tony's very rational fear of rats is funny."

"Rats will not hurt you," said Ziva simply.

"Rats can hurt you, David. And, after what Tony's been through, rats will never be something he can stop fearing. You making that fear worse is just disgusting." Gibbs took another deep breath. "Why did you put a rat in his locker?" he asked, deciding to deal with one thing at a time.

"I wanted to see what would happen."

"What did you think was going to happen?"

"I knew he would get scared. It was so funny."

"Fear is not something to laugh at, David. What if Tony exploited your worst fear? How would you feel if you were embarrassed in front of everyone?"

"I do not get embarrassed."

Gibbs sighed. He was getting nowhere with Ziva right then. Taking another calming breath, Gibbs turned back to McGee. "What possessed you to set free the angry dog that Tony had locked in a cage?"

"I didn't know Tony had locked it up," McGee answered honestly. "If I had, I wouldn't have done that. As soon as I saw the dog barreling towards Tony, I chased it and grabbed it. Tony was already hurt, but I managed to lock it back up before it could really hurt Tony."

"Why didn't you tell me after it happened?"

"I was scared that you wouldn't believe me."

"I would have been more inclined to believe you yesterday than I am today."

"I'm sorry. I really didn't want to hurt Tony."

"Why did you think arguing between yourselves was more important than helping Tony find a way back to work on Monday? Why did it take him hitting a pole with the van for the two of you to pay attention?"

"We were stupid."

"I think you were more than stupid. You caused Tony to put all three of your lives in possible danger. It was sheer luck that nothing else happened with that. And, rather than taking a share of the blame, the both of you let Tony take the fall. Technically, none of that was even his fault." Gibbs rounded on Ziva again, having achieved a satisfying result with McGee going red and looking ashamed. "You, David, let Tony take the blame when it was you that threatened a witness on Thursday. He's on desk duty until Monday because of you. Do you have anything to say about that? Or about hitting him hard enough to leave a very deep bruise on his stomach?"

"I did no such thing." Ziva smiled innocently. "Tony tripped and bumped me."

"Right. And I'm Bugs Bunny," said Gibbs sarcastically. "Did you forget I was there? Did you forget that I saw what you were doing?"

"If you saw it, why are you asking me anything?" Ziva said, finally getting angry.

"I thought you might have a good explanation. I guess not. And, if you don't cut the attitude, you can stay home until next Friday. How does that sound?"

Abruptly, Ziva stood and stormed out, backpack on her shoulder. She was gone in just a minute, leaving McGee and Gibbs staring in shock at her brazen attitude.

"McGee, what do you have to say about your behaviour? What made you think it was okay to mess with NCIS work?" Gibbs asked.

"I only meant to prank him with that report. I thought he had saved it on a disk. I didn't mean to cause him to redo anything." McGee shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'll apologise to Tony when he comes in."

"See that you do. And, you had better mean that apology, McGee, otherwise you will be in a lot of trouble." Gibbs sighed and softened his tone. "I'm going for coffee. Tell Tony I want to speak with him when I get back."


	6. Chapter 6

Tony entered the bullpen with Abby just after Gibbs left. McGee was working at his computer, but looked up when the elevator doors opened. He stood, and Tony knew that an apology was coming.

"Tony, I am so sorry," said McGee apprehensively. "I shouldn't have deleted that report, even if you had saved it somewhere else. And I shouldn't have thrown the map in your face while you were driving. I should have taken some of the blame for that accident instead of letting you get into trouble. And I really shouldn't have let the dog out of the cage. That was reckless and dangerous. I am so sorry."

Tony opened his mouth, but Abby got there first. "You did what?!" she shouted. "How the hell can you be so stupid? How can you put my Tony in so much danger? How could you have let a dog out to attack Tony after what you went through? What is the matter with you?!"

"Abby," said Tony quietly, "don't get upset. I'm sure he's already been suitably chastised for this. If you want to get angry with someone, get angry with Ziva. Who, by the way, I don't see anywhere."

"She stormed out when Gibbs told her that she had to cut out her attitude and be more responsible or she was suspended. I don't think she'll be back before next Friday," said McGee.

Tony's eyes widened, and he noticed Abby running off too late. She was already in the elevator before he could call her back. "I guess that Abby wants to put Ziva in her place." Tony sighed and turned back to McGee. "I accept your apology, but do not think I have forgiven you. All the teasing was easy to ignore and didn't faze me. I could have dealt with the deleted report, and I was willing to take the blame for the truck. But you hurt me when you let that dog out yesterday. You knew it was angry, and I was the only one in its sights. That could have left me in the hospital." Tony sighed again. "Why did you do it?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I wasn't really thinking when I opened the cage. Ziva and I were trying to find another prank, and it seemed like a good one. It was the stupidest thing I've ever done, considering I've been in your position before."

Tony shook his head. "I don't know why you thought that was a prank, and I really don't want to know. I can't forgive you yet, and I'm not really sure that I'll go into the field with you just now."

"I understand." McGee sighed sadly. "Oh, Gibbs said he wants to speak to you when he comes back in."

"Okay." Tony sat at his desk and pulled a file towards him. It was a cold case, and wasn't the least bit interesting, but it gave him something to focus on so he wouldn't yell at McGee.

* * *

Gibbs smiled when he saw Abby coming towards him, but the smile disappeared quickly when he realised she was angry.

"Hey, Abbs, what's the matter?" he asked.

"I'm going to kill her!" Abby exclaimed as she passed by him.

"Abby! This is something Tony needs to deal with, not you."

"I don't care. How could she just let McGee free an angry dog to attack Tony?"

"Trust me, Abbs, that's the least of my concerns towards Ziva right now. Where's Tony?"

"At his desk. At least, that's where I left him."

"Come back up with me. Tony probably needs a hug after talking to McGee."

Abby frowned, but agreed. She softened, knowing that Tony needed her right then. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But you better deal with Ziva!"

"I will, Abby. I promise she won't get away with what she's done."

* * *

Tony was surprised to see Abby coming into the bullpen with Gibbs just a mere ten minutes after leaving. He could see that she was still pissed, but it looked as though Gibbs had managed to calm her down slightly.

"McGee said you wanted to talk to me, boss?" Tony asked after giving Abby a smile.

"Yes. Firstly, I'm sure you noticed that Ziva is gone. She's been suspended. I'll file the paperwork on Monday when Vance is in. Secondly, I've spoken with McGee..." said Gibbs.

"I know. He's apologised. Like I told McGee, I accept the apology, but I haven't forgiven him, and I'm not sure when I will forgive him. I don't wish to be a pain, but I will refuse to go into the field with him for the time being. I hope you understand that, Gibbs."

Gibbs smiled a little, quickly hiding it. "I get it. That's fine, you don't have to partner with him. You can take turns partnering with me for a while."

"Thank you, boss."

Gibbs smiled openly this time. "Now, how is your cold case search going?"

"It's not. There's nothing to find."

"Get with Abby, see if she can help."

"On it, boss." Tony gladly stood and followed his best friend to the elevator.

* * *

Abby smiled as she and Tony began working in her lab. She was one of the only people that knew how smart Tony really was, and knew that he was excellent with computers. She understood why he hid his talents, and, after what she had just heard, she couldn't blame him. Abby loved when Tony helped her, because it gave her a chance to relax a little while she worked. His talent with computers was a secret she kept for him, and always warned him when someone was coming so he could slip back into the clown mask he always wore.

"Abbs, look at this," said Tony. He pointed to the computer screen he was staring at. "I'm not sure what that is, but it looks strange."

Abby glanced at the screen, and her eyes immediately widened. "That's the components of a nuclear bomb," she gasped. "We need to call Gibbs!"

"You can do that," said Tony.

"Don't be silly. You found it, Gibbs will want to hear it from you."

Tony smiled a little. "Thanks Abby." He picked up her desk phone and pressed Gibbs' speed dial number. "Boss, we found something. You need to get down here."


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs entered Abby's lab, worried by the tone of his senior agent's voice. Even though Tony hadn't said much, his voice spoke volumes.

"Tony, Abbs," called Gibbs. "What's going on?"

"We found something," said Tony. "Something bad."

"What is it?"

"Abby said they're components of a nuclear bomb."

Gibbs turned to Abby with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"It's true. That was the same make-up we found last week in the case Tony was leading," Abby said.

"Alright. Tony, what is this from?"

"The cold case I've been working. The file is on the desk next to Abby," Tony answered. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. You're on desk duty, remember? I'll take McGee and deal with this. While I'm gone, I want you to try and calm yourself down, Tony. You're agitated, and I understand that, but you need to calm down if you're going to be of any use."

Tony nodded silently, feeling upset yet again at McGee and Ziva for getting him into trouble that he didn't deserve. Sighing, Tony sat in the chair Abby had brought into the lab for him earlier, and continued to search for more evidence in the case.

* * *

Abby was annoyed with Gibbs. She followed him out of the lab, stopping him just before he reached the elevator.

"What is it, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"Why aren't you letting Tony go with you?" Abby asked.

"He's on desk duty, Abby. He can't be in the field."

"He shouldn't be on desk duty. You know he isn't the one that caused trouble with that witness on Thursday. Don't punish him for something he didn't do."

"I'm not. Vance is, and I can't overrule what he's said."

"You can call him and tell him what really happened. I think you owe that much to Tony." Abby crossed her arms and glared at her boss.

Gibbs sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll call when I get back. Just look after him, Abby."

"I always do, Gibbs. He's my best friend." Abby turned on her heel and walked back to her lab, leaving Gibbs to wonder why he ever worried about Tony and Abby when they were together.

* * *

"Tony, how are you going over there?" Abby called as she finished filing away paperwork.

"I'm fine, Abby. You can stop asking me every five minutes," answered Tony with a laugh. He really loved his best friend. "How are you going? Do you need help?"

"I'm done. I was thinking about going over my inventory if you want to help with that."

"Uh... I'm good here." Tony grinned at his friend. "That's not something I can do."

"Liar." Abby laughed back. "If you change your mind..."

"Not likely, Abbs." Tony returned his attention to the screen in front of him. "Uh, Abby?"

"Change your mind that quickly, hey?"

"No. Come and look at this." He pointed at the screen.

"Where did you find that?"

"Uh... I... Um... I hacked into the FBI's database."

Abby smiled. "I knew I could get you to use your skills! You should call Gibbs and let him know what you found. Make sure you tell him how you found it too."

Tony shook his head. "He won't believe..."

"Like hell he wont, DiNozzo!" Abby exclaimed, scaring Tony. "If you don't tell him, I will make you regret it, mister!"

Tony gasped. "Abby..."

"Sorry. That was harsh. But, I mean it. Tell him."

Tony just nodded. He reached for his phone and quickly called his boss' number.

* * *

"Gibbs."

"Boss, it's Tony. There's something else you need to know before you go in there."

Gibbs sighed, hoping that Tony wasn't just stalling for no reason. He signaled to McGee to wait. "What is it, Tony?"

"I found more evidence on the case. I don't think it's a nuclear bomb that you're going to find. It's a missile and it contains Saran gas."

"How do you know that?"

"I found it on the FBI's database... McGee isn't the only one that knows how to hack."

Gibbs couldn't stop himself from grinning. He knew Tony was smart, but also knew how self-conscious the younger man could be. Usually, praise fixed the issue, but this was not a usual day, and Gibbs wanted to do something better to show Tony his gratitude.

"Alright, Tony. Call Vance and tell him we need more agents, then I want you down here as soon as possible."

"What about being on desk duty?"

Gibbs heard the note of hope in Tony's voice, and knew that his answer would go a long way to fixing what had happened the previous week. "Screw desk duty, DiNozzo. I need my team, and I'm already one down. Get down here."

"On it, boss!"

Gibbs smirked a little as he hung up. He loved it when Tony was happy, and, though he knew things were far from being okay, he could tell that Tony was much happier than he had been that morning.

* * *

"Director, we need extra agents on the ground. Gibbs, McGee and I can't work on this alone," said Tony as he was driving to where his boss was waiting.

"Where's David?" Vance asked.

"At home on a self-imposed suspension."

"Fine," sighed Vance. "I'll send more agents. You can be in the field for this, and I'll discuss the punishment with Gibbs later."

"Thank you, sir." Tony quickly hung up. "Punishment I don't deserve," he said to himself as he pulled up next to his boss' car.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to everyone that has stuck with this story! I'm sorry about the long gaps between updates- I'm hoping to shorten those with the coming chapters! Thank you for the amazing reviews! :)**

 **Thanks, Shawn1968, for the 'gentle nudge'- which made me smile and laugh, by the way. Yes, I am planning to finish this story, and I have an idea for the rest, I just have to get it written down.**

 **DS2010- Tony has much more than what we've seen hidden up his sleeve! I don't know that I'll put it into this story, but we may see some of his street smarts in action that will put McGee to shame in future chapters. :D**

 **To the guest that reviewed chapter 5 recently, this is not a story that is following the show's storyline. And, since it's my story, I can write it however I like. While I agree that Tony found it funny when a dog went after McGee, it was not Tony's fault. I find it hard to believe that he would ever cause danger to his fellow agents or anyone else if he could help it. And, since Tony is my favourite character, I'm choosing to write him as a good person here- I know he's no angel, but that makes me just want to show his good side more.**

* * *

Gibbs looked up when he heard Tony's car getting closer. He could see that Tony had his phone in his hand, and could see a look of annoyance on his face. Instinctively, Gibbs knew that Tony had just spoken to Vance, and he immediately felt bad for making the senior agent have to call the director on a Saturday.

As Tony exited the car, Gibbs raised a hand and beckoned his agent over. "Sorry you had to make that call, Tony," said Gibbs softly.

"It's okay, boss. He's going to send us backup, and Abby's double-checking what I found to make sure there's no other surprises. But, we have to be careful anyway. Just in case I'm right," Tony replied.

"We're not going in yet. McGee called the bomb squad in to check out the factory before we go anywhere near it." Gibbs waited until McGee was out of earshot. "Tony, how did you find this? I don't mean the hacking part, either. I want to know how you managed to get this information just off the FBI's database."

"I found it in a case file's notes. It was strange, the way it was just sitting there in front of me. But, it was there," he shrugged. "I covered my tracks, by the way."

Gibbs smirked. "And you told me that, because...?"

"I thought you would want to know."

"Does McGee ever tell me that he covers his tracks when he hacks into something?"

"No, but..."

"No buts, DiNozzo. I trust you, otherwise you wouldn't be on my team. I don't need to be told that you did something that should be automatically done, especially when you hack." Gibbs looked over to see McGee coming closer. "What did Vance say when you told him you were joining me today?"

"He wasn't happy. He said he would talk to you later about my punishment." Tony frowned. "Boss, why am I even being punished? It had nothing to do with me."

"I don't have an answer, Tony. I promised Abby I would speak with Vance later though, and I'll get to the bottom of this, I promise."

"He's not going to let me off the hook, Gibbs."

"He's not going to have a choice in the matter." Gibbs nodded at McGee. "The bomb squad almost here yet?"

"Yeah. They're pulling up in a moment. They want us to wait at the cars while they search the building, just in case there is anything inside. Also, they said that even if there are no explosives in there, we have to wear hazmat suits to enter, just to be safe. The components that Tony found are more than likely still able to hurt us," said McGee.

"Are they supplying them?"

"Yes."

Gibs nodded. "Good."

"Tony? Are you coming to help?"

Tony just nodded, not sure if he would be able to stop himself from getting angry again.

"Tony's off desk duty, McGee," Gibbs said. "With that said, the punishment has not gone away- it will just be transferred to the people that deserve it."

"I'll take anything that comes, boss," said McGee. He was clearly ashamed of his actions.

"The desk work is not yours, but other punishments will be coming to you." Gibbs held his hand up to stop McGee from speaking again. "We'll discuss that later. Right now, we have a potentially explosive situation in front of us that we need to focus on. McGee, when the bomb squad gets here, you can liaise with them since you're the one that spoke to them originally. Tony, you have more knowledge about this case than anyone else- what can you tell me about it?"

* * *

Abby smiled as she picked her desk phone up and heard Tony's voice.

"Hi, Tony," she said cheerfully. "How's the field these days?"

"A relief, Abbs. Listen, can you tell me anything else about those nuclear bomb components we found?" asked Tony.

"You found, you mean. Yeah, I can tell you that they contain not only the Sarin gas, but also traces of polyurethane. That's not dangerous by itself when it's cured, but these traces are looking to be uncured. And, mixed with the Sarin, it becomes deadly... Tony... I have to warn you... uncured polyurethane can cause breathing problems if it's inhaled. You won't be able to fight that off. Please be careful..."

"I'll be alright. The bomb squad gave us hazmat suits to use. I'll be completely safe inside it."

"Just make sure that you seal the suit properly. And have Gibbs or the bomb squad people triple check it. I don't want you to go to the hospital."

"I won't be, Abby. I promise you that I won't be needing a hospital trip."

"I hope you're right, Tony."

"Abbs, why would I want to end up in the hospital when I'm supposed to be spending the night bowling with you?"

Abby smiled. "Well, that's a good point... We do have plans tonight."

"So, stop worrying. Help us close this case so you and I can get out of work at a decent hour."

Abby laughed this time. "Good idea. Do you need anything before I hang up?"

"No. You gave me enough information. I'll see you later, Abbs."

"Bye, Tony."

Abby put her phone down on the desk, all traces of cheer gone as she started to worry again about Tony, Gibbs and McGee.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had run out of ideas for this story, but, after a lovely review and after re-reading what I had already written, some new ideas came up. I'll be trying to update the story more often.**

* * *

The bomb squad had cleared the building, and now the team was inside, looking for anything that might help them. The cold case was no longer a cold case with the evidence Tony had uncovered. If they could find the actual parts of the bomb, then they had enough to put the culprit in prison forever, regardless of them confessing or not. Tony groaned as the smell hit him first. It was almost an acrid smoke smell, and the full stench of it hit him in the face as he opened the final door on his and Gibbs' side of the building. Covering his mouth and nose, Tony started into the room, but he was met with resistance before he could even take two steps into the room.

"Don't go any further or I'll detonate this bomb," said a voice that belonged to someone Tony could not see.

"Who are you?" Tony asked, before he started coughing uncontrollably.

"It doesn't matter who I am."

"It matters to us," snarled Gibbs as he and McGee came up behind Tony. "Where are you?" he asked, silently signalling to McGee to get Tony out of the room.

"Nowhere."

McGee nodded at Gibbs as started to pull Tony backwards, out of the room. Gibbs stepped further in, disappearing into the blackness.

"McGee, let go of me," Tony said once he had gotten his breath back. "Gibbs needs help in there."

"No. I won't let you end up in the hospital. That smoke is really bad," said McGee.

"Don't worry about me. You didn't care all week, don't start now." Tony pulled his arm from McGee's grip and stumbled into the room, quickly finding his way to Gibbs' side. "Show yourself," said Tony, "you say you have a bomb, so show us."

"I said I will detonate the bomb. It isn't on me," said the disembodied voice. "It is in the building, however. If you don't believe me, I can just push this button in my hand."

"Is it a nuclear bomb?" Gibbs asked, his hand on Tony's shoulder, both as a reminder to keep calm and to support him.

"What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a yes. Okay, so, how much damage will it do?"

"Enough damage. The city will be devastated by the effect."

"That's what I thought. What I don't understand is, you've done so well in not getting caught all this time. What changed?"

"Nothing changed. Those bomb squad people didn't find me. It was your dumb agent that stumbled upon my hideout and now it seems like he won't be able to tell anyone about it anyway. The smoke smell in here is deadly. Without an oxygen supply, you won't last more than thirty minutes in here."

 _Thirty minutes isn't long,_ thought Gibbs as Tony sagged next to him. _I can't imagine that Tony has thirty minutes with his scarred lungs though. I need to get him out of here and get this guy into a police car._

"Boss?" wheezed Tony. "Don't let him get away."

"I won't, DiNozzo." Gibbs squinted into the darkness, looking for movement now that his eyes had adjusted. "I can see him. I need you to get out of here before you pass out."

"Not leaving... you."

"Go, Tony. McGee can back me up if I need it."

"No... can't... I can't walk..."

"Crawl if you have to. Just get out of here." Gibbs nudged Tony backwards. "I'll be right behind you, Tony. I promise."

Tony tried to talk but ended up just nodding weakly as he attempted to stand up. After a minute, Gibbs pulled him to his feet and Tony stumbled back out of the room, collapsing into a heap just in front of McGee.

"Tony?" McGee asked worriedly as several bomb squad officers ran past them. "Can you hear me?"

"I'm awake," gasped Tony. "Can't breathe..."

"I already called an ambulance. They should be here any minute now. You just have to try and breathe." McGee pulled Tony up. "Let's get out of here. The fresh air will make you feel better."

"Gibbs..."

"The bomb squad will get him."

"Bomb... in the building..."

"There's nothing in the building, Tony. They cleared it before we went in..." started McGee before he was interrupted.

"Actually, Agent McGee, there was a bomb in the building. Just not this building. There's a small outhouse in the back. We found the bomb in the toilet," said one of the bomb squad officers.

"You're kidding?" McGee asked in surprise.

"Definitely not. I don't know how well it would have worked, given what it was sitting in, but it was there."

"Did you get it out?"

"Yes. It's being detonated as we speak, far off in the field behind us just to be safe. If it is nuclear, we want to avoid any injuries and illnesses."

"Won't that make it airborne?"

"No. It's contained in a sealed barrel. It's fine."

The sirens from an approaching ambulance interrupted the rest of the conversation, and McGee pulled Tony to him to lead him to the newly arrived ambulance.

"Gibbs?" questioned Tony as they walked.

"Right behind us," lied McGee. He was focused on getting Tony some help.

"Look after... him, Tim," said Tony as he spotted the paramedics waiting outside the ambulance.

"I will. You let the medics look after you, Tony." McGee turned to one of the paramedics. "His name is Tony. He has scarred lungs from the pneumonic plague."

"Very well," said the paramedic as she gently took Tony's arm and guided him into the back of the ambulance. "Hi, Tony. I'm Amber. How are you feeling?"

* * *

Gibbs coughed as he stepped out of the room with one of the bomb squad officers. Two more were coming out behind them, dragging the man that had been threatening to blow up his bomb between them.

"Agent Gibbs, you should get checked out, too," said the bomb squad officer.

"I'm fine," said Gibbs. "How's Tony?"

"Agent DiNozzo is in an ambulance, getting checked over."

"Good. I need him to be accompanied by Agent McGee, please. I'll see a doctor later."

"Smoke inhalation..."

"I know. I really will get checked out. I just need to get this guy to interrogation first."

"Your health is more important, Agent Gibbs."

"I promise you, I'm fine." Gibbs shook his head to end the conversation. "I need to get going. Just look after Tony, please."


	10. Chapter 10

Tony leaned back on the gurney, glad for the quiet and the fresh air coming into the ambulance through the open doors. He could breathe a little easier now, though he was still coughing too much.

"Alright, Tony, I'm going to give you some oxygen now. It should help you, but we will be taking a trip to the hospital tonight. A respiratory specialist will need to make sure that there's no further damage to your lungs," said Amber.

"Brad," Tony said, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

"Who's Brad?"

"Brad is Dr Pitt, at Bethesda. He's Tony's pulmonologist," said McGee. He was standing at the doors of the ambulance.

"Okay, we can go to Bethesda. It might be too late for Dr Pitt to be working, though. You might have to see someone else."

"Brad... on call this weekend..." said Tony.

"That's convenient. How did you know that?" Amber asked Tony curiously.

"My... friend..."

"You're friends with your doctor? He must be really good at his job for you to be friends with him."

"They've been friends a lot longer than Dr Pitt has been Tony's specialist," said McGee, climbing into the ambulance to sit with Tony. "They met through college football, apparently."

"That's pretty cool," smiled Amber.

Tony gave Amber a tired smile in return. He was feeling slightly better now that he had the oxygen mask on, but he was also tired, and he knew that he wouldn't stay awake too much longer if they kept talking instead of heading to the hospital.

"Amber?" asked Tony.

"Yes?"

"Hospital? Now?"

"Right, yes. I'm just waiting on Agent Gibbs to join us. He needs to be checked out too."

"Gibbs... won't come. He never does."

"I think he will this time."

"Don't bet on it," said McGee. "It takes him a very long time to see a doctor when he gets injured, let alone just for smoke inhalation. He won't see that as a good enough reason to visit the doctor. He'll probably just visit with the ME at NCIS, and even then he'll give trouble."

"That's really not good."

"We know. Tony will probably kick his butt later when he goes back to work," McGee said with a grin. "I am so glad that Tony and I have made up, otherwise, I would probably be receiving a few kicks as well."

"You still might," said Tony as Amber closed the doors and let the driver know that they could leave.

"I deserve it, Tony. But, I really am sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

Tony sighed. "I forgive... you, Tim. I'm just not ready... to get over... the consequences yet." He closed his eyes, ending the conversation for the moment.

* * *

Gibbs was feeling lightheaded by the time he got back to NCIS, but he refused to admit that he should have gone to the hospital along with Tony. He wanted to put the guy that he had in custody behind bars for everything he had done to people in the city, and this was his one chance. He couldn't let that chance go by. He had meant it when he said that he would get looked over, but he had meant by Ducky, not a doctor. He didn't really have a problem with doctors, but he preferred to see Ducky, knowing that the man was his good friend and would never do anything to harm him.

"I just got the most interesting phone call, Gibbs," said Vance as Gibbs reached the interrogation room where his suspect was being held.

"What would that have been about, Leon?" Gibbs asked.

"You refused to get checked out after inhaling too much smoke. As I understand it, Agent DiNozzo is being transported to Bethesda as we speak for a checkup, accompanied by Agent McGee. He is following protocol. You, on the other hand, are not. Why didn't you get checked?"

"I have something to do first."

"No. An interrogation is not as important as making sure you are fit for work. Dr Mallard is waiting in Autopsy for you. I have already briefed him on the situation."

"Leon..."

"No. Go, now, or you won't be conducting any interrogations for a long while. And, when you get back," he added, "we will be having a discussion about you disobeying my orders."

"Talking about Tony, are we? Good. I can't wait to have that conversation. There is so much I need to say about your actions towards him." Gibbs turned and headed back to the elevator, knowing that he wasn't going to get his way this time. But, at least, he was going to get something fixed after seeing Ducky.

* * *

Tony found himself tensing up as doctors ran past him to their various tasks. He wasn't sure if Brad had actually started his shift or not, he had just hoped that he would get his way. He didn't trust any other doctor to look after him properly. McGee had promised to go and find Brad for him, but was yet to return with any kind of an answer. It was boring, waiting alone in an otherwise empty emergency department exam room.

"Hi, Tony. It's been a while," said a woman's voice.

Tony looked up. He knew that voice, but he just couldn't place it. He needed to see the person before he could work it out. He had his hopes up for it to be the one nurse that he had ever actually liked, but, for some reason, he just didn't think it would be her. They hadn't seen each other since just after Brad had cleared him to return to work after the plague incident.

"Don't you remember me?" asked the woman in a mock sad tone. She came over to the bed that Tony was resting on.

"Of course I do. Emma," said Tony through his oxygen mask.

"What happened to you?"

"Smoke inhalation, most likely."

"Have you been seen by a doctor yet?"

Tony shook his head. "I know Brad is working tonight... Has he started yet?"

"I have started my shift," said Brad from the doorway. "Just now, actually. I bumped into Agent McGee and he filled me in. I told the nurses that I would take over your care."

"What care? Doesn't someone have to check me first?"

"Good point. Well, let's check you and work out a care plan for you. How does that sound?"

"No overnight stay?"

"We'll see. It depends on how you are." Brad grinned as he approached Tony. "I think we might need an overnight stay though."

Tony groaned. "Brad..."

"Don't worry. I'll see what I can do to get you out of here tonight." Brad smiled. "Let's start your checkup."


	11. Chapter 11

Tony was much more relaxed now that Brad was in the room with him. Emma hadn't left either, which only served to make him feel even more comfortable. Tony smiled at Brad, even though the oxygen mask on his face obscured it slightly.

"So, Tony, let's start by checking your lungs. If you have inhaled too much smoke, then we'll need to treat you as soon as possible," said Brad as he put his stethoscope on.

Tony didn't bother to answer. He knew that Brad was going to need to check on his lungs at some point, and it was just better to get it over with at the start. He sat up, using Emma for support. Tony began taking deep breaths, glad for the oxygen he was still breathing in as it lessened the strain he had been feeling earlier. The room was silent for a couple of minutes while Brad carefully listened to Tony's breathing.

"Okay, Tony. Your lungs are sounding good to me. I'll take off the mask and we'll see how you go without the oxygen for an hour or so. Is that alright?" asked Brad.

Tony nodded. He let Brad remove the oxygen mask and then said, "thanks. So, are we still on for football next weekend?"

Brad smiled. "We sure are. As long as you don't come back to me in a day or two with trouble breathing, that is."

Tony shook his head. "I won't be back, I promise."

Brad nodded. He helped Tony lay back down and then continued his examination.

* * *

Gibbs found Ducky waiting for him when he got to Autopsy. One of the metal tables was set up already, clearly waiting for Gibbs to sit on it. A rolling tray filled with Ducky's physician tools was standing next to the table.

"Jethro, it's good to see that you listened to our esteemed director," said Ducky, "come and take a seat."

Gibbs sat on the table. "I was always going to come down, Duck. I just wanted to put the dirtbag in jail first."

"Health must always be your first priority, Jethro. You know that."

"I do. That's why I sent Tony to the hospital."

"Anthony never would have argued going to the hospital in this situation. Even so, it is not him that we are discussing right now. It's you. If you ignore your health, Jethro, you won't be doing anything except staying home from now on."

Gibbs sighed, but he knew that Ducky was correct. His health was important, after all, and he did tend to ignore himself most times. He knew that he needed to stop doing that, but it was a habit far too ingrained for him to change.

 _That was the same thing Tony said to me before the plague,_ thought Gibbs suddenly, _but now he takes care of himself. The plague was a life changing experience for everyone, but Tony is the only one that seems to have changed. Maybe I should be following his lead on this one?_

"Jethro? Is something wrong?" Ducky was asking when Gibbs pulled himself out of his thoughts.

"I think I finally realised something, Duck," answered Gibbs as he allowed his friend to examine him.

"And what would that be?"

"Before Tony got the plague, he was exactly like me in regards to his health. After the plague, he learnt to take proper care of himself. Right?"

"That's correct. He had quite the life changing experience, Jethro. It helped him to put things into perspective."

"Okay. It was life changing to some degree for all of us. We love Tony, after all. Seeing him dying made us all rethink things. So, why is health still one of the things I refuse to change?"

"Watching Anthony in that situation was not life changing for you. It was heartbreaking, yes, and it probably made you rethink your own priorities, but you didn't feel what Anthony felt. You didn't feel death coming for you. I will say that after everything you have gone through recently, you should be thinking about yourself a lot more, but it is different for everyone. You didn't need a near death experience to realise that you aren't looking after yourself, you just needed to be given an explanation as to why you need to keep your health in check. Am I wrong to assume that you have realised now that your health is important?"

"You aren't wrong," admitted Gibbs.

"Well, in that case, Jethro, I think you can go back to work," said Ducky as he finished checking Gibbs over, "but call Timothy and see how Anthony is doing first."

"I will do just that." Gibbs got off the table and started to leave autopsy. "Thanks, Duck."

* * *

Tony had been resting for half an hour when Brad came in with a phone. Immediately, he knew that Gibbs was on the other end of the call, and he started to feel inexplicably angry at his boss.

"Tony, Gibbs wants to speak to you. Do you feel up to a conversation?" asked Brad carefully, sensing the anger coming from his friend.

"I don't want to speak to him until he tells me why he thought it fair that I have to come to a hospital to be checked and he can just return to work like nothing happened! He was in the damn room longer than I was!" Tony said angrily.

Brad nodded. "I'll tell him what you said. Try to calm down, otherwise you'll be staying a lot longer than the hour I said."

"Sorry," said Tony.

"Don't be. I don't blame you for being angry with him, Tony. I just want you to relax so that I can send you home. As your doctor, it's my job to make sure that you're okay, and I can't do that if you're angry."


	12. Chapter 12

"Sorry, Gibbs, but Tony is too angry to speak to you at the moment," said Brad once he was out of Tony's room. "He thinks that there's a double standard when it comes to people's health. I can't say I blame him- there does seem to be a different set of rules for you than there is for your team."

"I know. I think this was what I needed to realise it. I knew Tony was angry with me," said Gibbs.

"You need to fix it. However, I would suggest that you wait until Tony has calmed down. I don't want to keep him in hospital any longer than is necessary."

"Is he okay?"

"Tony's fine. The fresh air and the fact that the time he spent inhaling smoke was broken up has helped him."

"Is Tim still with him?"

"Yes. Agent McGee will take Tony home once I release him in an hour or so."

"Please tell McGee to take Tony home. He can return to work in the morning. And please tell Tony that I am going home too. I don't want him to think he's missing out on working the case."

* * *

Tony sighed as he continued to be beaten at a game of poker by McGee. Normally, Tony was really good at the game, but today he was distracted and wanted nothing more than to go back to his desk and work.

"Do you want to play some other card game while we wait, Tony?" asked McGee.

"No. I want to work and close this case already," answered Tony.

"Me too. There's no way that you'll be allowed to go back to NCIS tonight, though."

"I know that. I just want to end this case. I've had enough of looking for terrorists in cold cases."

"I don't blame you, Tony," said Brad as he entered the room with a few papers in his hands. "I have the discharge forms here. You can sign them and go home for the night. Gibbs says that you can go back to work in the morning."

"Is he coming to my apartment?"

"No. I told him not to see you until you've calmed down more."

"Thank you, Brad. For everything."

"Anytime, Tony. Take it easy for a few days, okay?"

"I will." Tony signed the papers and handed them back to Brad. "I guess the next time I see you will be when we play football!"

* * *

"Thanks for dropping me off, McGee," said Tony once they were inside his apartment building. "I'm just going to go up and sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

McGee knew he was being dismissed. He didn't want to go and leave Tony alone. He still felt that Tony might have some smoke left in his lungs, and he was worried that something might happen to his friend.

"Tony..." began McGee.

"I'm fine. I will be at work in the morning. Good night."

McGee sighed as he watched Tony step into the elevator. Other than barging into Tony's apartment, there wasn't much he could do right then.

* * *

"Hi, Tony," said an elderly woman as Tony reached his apartment door.

"Hi, Eloise," smiled Tony. "How are you?"

"It sounds like I'm better than you today. Did something happen?"

"Work happened." Tony grinned. "I got some new information on a cold case at work, which ended up with me at the hospital for a checkup..."

"Why are you smiling?" Eloise asked in concern. "You know that hospital trips worry me when it comes to you."

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Tony asked teasingly.

"You are a stubborn young man, Anthony!" Eloise laughed a little. "I guess you really do know how to get to me, don't you? Did you really go to the hospital?"

Tony held up his left hand, showing his neighbour the hospital wristband that he hadn't taken off yet. "I'm fine. It was mostly a precaution."

"They cleared you to come home?"

"Brad did, yes."

Eloise breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, if Brad thinks it's okay to send you home, then I guess I can relax. But, I'm going to keep an eye on you tonight, young man."

Tony chuckled. "I knew you would."

Eloise smiled. She wrapped an arm around Tony's shoulders in what was considered a hug, since she was much shorter than Tony and could only just reach. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I was thinking of ordering Chinese. You're welcome to join me, Eloise."

A smile lit up the elderly woman's face. "I think I would enjoy Chinese food and a movie."

Tony grinned slyly as he opened his apartment door. "How does Final Destination sound to you?"

Eloise grimaced. "Don't you do that to me, Tony! How about we watch It's A Wonderful Life?"

"I think I would like that, Eloise."

* * *

Gibbs sighed. It was almost six pm and he wanted to go home. He had just finished interrogating the terrorist that he and Tony had found earlier that night. Normally, he would have given himself a pat on the back and said that it was a job well done since the guy had folded under Gibbs' stare, but Vance was waiting for him. Gibbs knew he was going to be chewed out for bringing Tony into the field before Monday ended the desk duty. Usually, Gibbs didn't care about getting into trouble, but he had no energy for an argument right then.

"Gibbs, we need to talk. I put DiNozzo on desk duty for a reason- you can't just pull him into the field before the punishment is over," said Vance once Gibbs stepped into the observation room.

"Tony shouldn't be on desk duty, Leon. He did not cause any trouble with that witness on Thursday. Your dear friend Eli David's daughter did. Tony tried to stop her from doing anything, and all he got for his troubles was a hard elbow to the gut. I don't know why you have it out for him, but Tony is not your 'problem child', that I can tell you for sure. You need to stop seeing only the bad things about him and start seeing his good side, his smarts and his positivity." Gibbs took a deep breath to stay calm. "I want Tony off desk duty, right now, Leon. I want him to be able to go back into the field at a moment's notice, and I want you to read- actually read, not skim- his reports on all of last week's incidents. That should tell you enough to be able to figure out who was responsible for each incident and to dole out the blame to the correct people. And, that incident with the van on Monday- that was not Tony's fault. He took the blame because he was driving, but if his two junior agents had been doing what they were meant to do, that wouldn't have happened. Do you understand?"

"Why didn't DiNozzo write up the two agents in question?" Vance challenged.

"Why do you think? Would you have believed that your golden boy let an angry dog loose on a fellow agent, just for a prank? Or that your buddy's little girl put a potentially poisonous rat in his locker to embarrass him?" Gibbs waited out a short pause. "I didn't think so. Leave Tony alone and stop punishing him." With that, Gibbs turned and walked off, heading to his car to go home.


	13. Chapter 13

Tony had thoroughly enjoyed his dinner with Eloise on Saturday night. They had laughed and chatted about anything that came to their minds, and it had helped Tony to relax. He had been happy and comfortable all night long. When he had woken up on Sunday morning, he had found that he was still feeling good and was much calmer than he had been. He was looking forward to going to work and closing the cold case that had been re-invigorated the previous day. He was even feeling calmer towards Gibbs, though he had no intention of admitting that until the team leader decided to admit that he should have gone to the hospital as well.

"Good morning, Tony," said Eloise when Tony finally stepped out of his apartment to head to work.

"Hi, Eloise. How are you this morning?" Tony asked.

"Good. I see that you are still in a good mood."

"I am. It was nice to have some company last night. Thank you for that."

"Hey, I'm an old woman that lives alone. I'm usually at home, so it was nice to get out for a couple of hours. Even if it is just to visit a neighbour."

"Well, Eloise, you are more than welcome to come over whenever you want to." Tony smiled. "But, right now, I need to run. I'm already late for work."

Eloise laughed. "Why does that not surprise me?" she teased.

"Hey! It's Sunday! I wanted a sleep in. Is that too much to ask for?" Tony pretended to pout, making his neighbour laugh again.

"Well, I guess you had better get going, Tony. I'll see you later." Eloise smiled and waved, then entered her own apartment with a bag that contained what looked like a box.

Tony said goodbye and headed down the hallway to the elevator that had just arrived on his floor.

* * *

The trip to NCIS had been uneventful. Tony had spent the unusually short drive listening to a CD he had bought at a yard sale a week earlier. It wasn't the type of music he usually liked, but there was just something about the female singer's voice that he enjoyed. She had a great talent, although Tony was sure he had never heard of her until he had bought the disc.

"Hi, Tony!" squealed Abby as Tony stepped into the NCIS building.

"Hey, Abbs," said Tony after a moment. "What are you doing here now?"

"Finishing those tests I was running yesterday. How are you feeling? I heard about last night. Are your lungs okay?"

"I'm fine. If I wasn't, do you think Brad would have let me go home last night?"

Abby shook her head. "Just because you were okay at the hospital, it doesn't mean that you're fine now."

"I am. I promise that I am."

Abby glared at Tony for a moment, then said, "next time you go to the hospital, call me. I want to be there for you."

"Thanks, Abbs," said Tony. He knew that if he said anything else, the conversation would never end. "I'll come to your lab after I speak to Gibbs, okay?"

"Alright," said Abby cheerfully. She bounced off towards an elevator that would take her directly to her lab.

Tony smiled as he stepped into the elevator. Abby always made him smile, no matter how bad things got.

* * *

Gibbs was about to pick up his phone when the elevator dinged and Tony stepped out, looking refreshed and happy. Cautiously, he gave Tony a smile.

"Good morning, Tony," he said.

"Hi, boss!" Tony replied happily.

Unable to detect any traces of anger or resentment in his senior agent's voice, Gibbs relaxed. "I think we need to talk."

"We definitely need to talk, Gibbs."

"I'm sorry, Tony..." began Gibbs.

"Are you? You forced me to go to the hospital last night, Gibbs. You spent longer breathing in the smoke than I did, you should have been in the hospital too. Yet, I'm told that you chose to see Ducky instead." Tony paused to let his words sink in. "Does that sound fair to you?"

"I know that I was wrong. I shouldn't have gone back to work. You are right, I should have gone to the hospital, Tony."

"Did Ducky tell you off?"

"He did. So did Vance."

Tony couldn't stop himself. He smiled. "Vance, hey? Good. That means you really did get into trouble."

"Can we move past this? Be friends again?"

Tony nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Tony was glad that he and Gibbs were friends again. His boss was the closest thing to family that he had, besides his absent father, anyway. He hated to argue with Gibbs. However, the conversation they had just had was definitely long overdue.

"Boss, I'm going to help Abby with the evidence so we can close this case," said Tony. "Did he confess yet?"

"He did. I've got it on tape and Vance watched the whole thing when he came in last night," answered Gibbs.

"Did Vance let me off desk duty?"

"He hasn't decided yet. Either way, tomorrow you're back in the field and I'll deal with him again."

"What's going to happen with Ziva?"

"I don't know just yet. If she's honest with me when I go see her this afternoon, I might decide that she can stay on my team. Otherwise, she may be out of a job."

"Don't fire her. I just need her to understand what she's done."

"I may not have a choice, Tony. I can't have someone on my team that causes danger to colleagues."

"I really think that she can learn to not do this again."

"I hope so. She's a good asset for this team."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This is the same chapter, just with a little added to the end.**

* * *

Tony smiled as he entered Abby's lab. There was something about his best friend that never failed to make a situation much better than what it really was. Maybe it was just Abby's personality, but Tony preferred to think that she had a little magic about her.

"Hi, Tony!" said Abby. "Did you talk to Gibbs already?"

"Yes. Surprisngly, Gibbs agreed that he was in the wrong," said Tony. He shrugged. "As long he knows, I'm good."

"Are you down here to tell me that?"

"Nope. I'm here to help you with the evidence so we can close this case and maybe go home before it's dark."

Abby grinned. "Yay! I love when we work in my lab together, Tony. It makes my day so much more interesting."

"Mine too, Abbs." Tony smiled. "I really do enjoy it down here... just maybe not for long periods of time. I am an active person, after all."

"I know. I told that to Gibbs yesterday."

"Did you? When?"

"Oops... that wasn't supposed to come out. It isn't a secret or anything, I just wanted to try and help you feel more involved in the case yesterday."

"You don't have to explain, Abby. I'm not upset."

"You hate it when I do things like that."

"Normally, yes, but yesterday, it worked out. Maybe not in the way I hoped it would, but I still got to go out into the field instead of being stuck doing paperwork." He smiled again. "Thank you, Abby. You are a wonderful friend."

* * *

Gibbs was glad that he and Tony had made up. Tony was the son he never had, and Gibbs cared about him a lot. He knew that he had angered Tony the previous night by not going to the hospital, and, after talking to Brad and Ducky, he had spent some time thinking about his actions. When he thought about it, there was a lot of times where he had made Tony do something, but not done it himself. He could understand why it had upset Tony. These thoughts continued to plague Gibbs as he parked outside of Ziva's apartment building.

"Hi, sir," said a young woman coming out of the building.

"Hi," said Gibbs. "I wanted to visit one of the people that live here, but I don't want her to know I'm coming. Can I just walk into the building, or do I need to be buzzed in?"

"Normally, you need to be buzzed in, but I like surprises. I'll let you in. There's a directory next to the elevator if you need to find her apartment."

"Thank you." Gibbs gave the woman a smile and walked in through the front door that she was holding open for him, thinking to himself, _Ziva needs a different apartment building or better security._

The directory wasn't much help to Gibbs. He knew Ziva was on the fifth floor of the building, so he searched the board for her name. All he found, however, were initials.

"How can there be two people, on the same floor, with the same initials?" Gibbs asked himself irritably. "And they are neighbours, too?"

Gibbs shook his head. He stepped into the elevator and rode it up to the fifth floor, deciding as he went that he would just have to knock on a door and hope that it was the correct one.

Gibbs knocked on the first apartment door. He waited a moment, then the door opened and he came face to face with Ziva. He was shocked by Ziva's appearance- she was wearing a t-shirt that was two sizes too big and obviously belonged to Tony. Her hair wasn't brushed and she looked tired.

"What do you want?" Ziva asked, though without the malice that Gibbs had been expecting.

"We need to discuss your behaviour," said Gibbs simply.

"Why did you not suspend McGee?"

"I didn't suspend you. You chose to leave."

"You did not give the same choice to McGee."

"I didn't have to. He chose to admit his mistakes and apologise to Tony for them."

Ziva hesitated for a moment. She sighed and said, "I am sorry, Gibbs. I know it was wrong, but I just wanted Tony to see that his pranks are not fun. I took it too far, I guess, and I know that Tony would never put us in danger. I think I got caught up in everything, and I did not want to see that I was doing things that were putting Tony in danger."

"Ziva..."

"I know. You don't have to say it, Gibbs. I was irresponsible and I crossed a line. I would not blame Tony if he hated me forever."

"Tony doesn't hate you, Ziva. He doesn't even want you to be punished. He just wants you to learn from your mistakes so you don't repeat them ever again."

"I won't do it again, Gibbs. I... I love Tony," Ziva blurted out.

"Gee, do you think?" Gibbs asked sarcastically, unable to stop himself. "I didn't get that from all the flirting that goes on between the two of you at work, or from the fact that you are clearly wearing one of DiNozzo's t-shirts. How many times has he slept over?"

"One. Just the one time, when his apartment was being re-painted. He left this in my washing machine. I don't think he knows that he left it here."

"I think you need to apologise to Tony."

"I will. Tomorrow morning, I will come early to work."

"No. You can wait until next week. You put yourself on suspension yesterday when you walked out, and that punishment will stick. You are not to set foot into NCIS until nine o'clock next Monday morning."

Ziva looked as if she was about to argue, but she changed her mind and didn't say anything. She just nodded. "I understand, Gibbs. I will take my punishment."

"Good." Gibbs waited a moment to see if there was anything else that Ziva wanted to say. "Goodbye, Ziva. I will see you in a week."

* * *

 **One Week Later**

Tony was already at his desk when Ziva arrived. He could see that she had something to say, so he politely waited for her to speak.

"Tony, I am sorry that I was so rude to you. I shouldn't have done any of it; it was wrong. I hope that you will forgive me," said Ziva.

"I can't forgive you yet. I need some time, Ziva. Maybe in a few months, I might feel comfortable around you again, but you will have to just wait," replied Tony.

"I can do that."

Tony just nodded and went back to the game he was playing on his phone.

* * *

 **The End**

 **A/N: This is it. I hope you enjoyed the story. I hope you like that Ziva is still being punished, but that Tony's wishes were also incorporated into Gibbs' decision.**


End file.
